


This is the Witching Hour

by Fuji09



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Beverly Marsh is a Good Friend, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Bottom Eddie Kaspbrak, Crazy Patrick Hockstetter, Creepy Patrick Hockstetter, Dark Magic, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier-centric, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Homophobic Sonia Kaspbrak, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, M/M, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Drug Addiction, Patrick Hockstetter is His Own Warning, Pierced Eddie Kaspbrak, Pierced Richie Tozier, Punk Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris Are Best Friends, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Sexual Assault, Sexual Tension, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak, Sonia Kaspbrak Being Terrible, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, Stanley Uris is a Good Friend, Step-Brothers, Step-parents, Tattooed Richie Tozier, Top Richie Tozier, Witch Beverly Marsh, Witch Eddie Kaspbrak, Witch Patrick Hockstetter, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:00:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27265369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuji09/pseuds/Fuji09
Summary: For HallowRen's Spooktacular IT Project 2020My Prompt: Witches“Seriously Bev? Why do I have to go with you to some hippy-dippy flowers and rainbows store?” Richie asked his best friend.Richie had been dragged out of his college dorm room because Bev wanted to take him to the witch shop she frequented. Richie had no problem with her being a witch, he honestly didn’t really believe in it but if she felt like crystals and spells made her life better, then he could handle the incense constantly burning in her room and he could handle her being in a coven.It didn’t seem like a big deal, it's a group of college kids who sit around and talk about spells and shit. It's not like they actually had magical powers like in the movies. Bev smiled mischievously and continued walking, holding Richie’s arm.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22
Collections: HallowRen's Spooktacular IT Project





	This is the Witching Hour

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my Halloween Reddie fic, I kept adding more and more to it, originally it was going to be a one shot but now its a chaptered fic, it got too long to be a one shot. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Title from the song Witching Hour by In This Moment

“Seriously Bev? Why do I have to go with you to some hippy-dippy flowers and rainbows store?” Richie asked his best friend.

Richie had been dragged out of his college dorm room because Bev wanted to take him to the witch shop she frequented. Richie had no problem with her being a witch, he honestly didn’t really believe in it but if she felt like crystals and spells made her life better, then he could handle the incense constantly burning in her room and he could handle her being in a coven.

It didn’t seem like a big deal, it's a group of college kids who sit around and talk about spells and shit. It's not like they actually had magical powers like in the movies. Bev smiled mischievously and continued walking, holding Richie’s arm.

Her striking red hair and bright green eyes contrasted with the black midthigh length dress she wore. Knee high black socks and boots accompanied the outfit. She really was beautiful, Richie knew it, but he strictly only had platonic feelings for her.

Richie had been caught sleeping when Bev burst into his room so he slid on a pair of holey skinny jeans and a black band tee, Suicide Silence, and put a grey beanie on his head to help tame the curls of his black hair. Bright blue eyes sparkled beneath where his curls constantly fell, no amount of hairspray could get his hair out of his eyes. His _Vans_ slip-on shoes completed his _I just got out of bed_ look.

  
  


Thankfully the shop wasn’t too far away from their college dorms, they walked most places; downtown was a few blocks away and the weather was usually nice around October. The chillier weather didn’t bother either of them since they both grew up in Maine, so the cold didn’t warrant them a need to wear jackets.

Bev and Richie usually got some looks when they walked places, mostly because of their piercings and tattoos, and the times Richie would add a splash of color to their hair. Bev liked having a bit of black mixed in with her red hair while Richie always went for the crazy colors like purple, green, blue, and even pink. He felt it looked better when he straightened his hair but Bev always teased him when he did that, she swore he looked like an emo kid.

Bev had a tattoo of a snake wrapping around her arm, starting at her shoulder and down to her hand where the head of the snake laid, on the back of her hand. It was only black ink but it was well done and quite beautiful. Her ears had several silver hoops in them, nothing too crazy, and a single silver hoop nose ring.

Richie was the more wild one when it came to body modifications, he was covered in small, usually spur of the moment, tattoos, he had some beautiful designs, his hand tattoos were by far the most professionally done, and he even had a couple of shitty stick and poke tattoos he tried to do himself; one was a smiley face on his wrist and the other was a star on his ankle.

His piercings consisted of several silver hoops in his ears, a bar in one ear, called an industrial piercing, he stretched his ears to a half-inch gauge and always had eye-catching plugs. Both sides of his nose were pierced with silver hoops, a curved silver bar pierced one eyebrow, his tongue had a purple bar though it, both sides of his upper lip pierced, and a septum piercing. Nothing clunky, just a simple silver horseshoe hoop that came to a point at both ends.

  
  


They finally got to Bev’s favorite store, What A Witch and the wind chime on the door made its pretty sound to alert the employees they had customers. No other customers were in the store which Bev preferred. She walked up to the front counter with Richie following, looking at unique items now and then. An employee had his back to them, bent over, getting things out of a box as he said the store greeting without looking.

“Hey Eddie!” Bev said excitedly.

The employee stood back up and turned around and that was when Richie’s soul left his body. Standing at the counter was the most beautiful guy Richie had ever seen. The guy, Eddie apparently, was much shorter than Richie, although most were shorter than Richie who stood at 6’0, but this guy was shorter than Bev! She was only 5’6 although if she wore heels she was 5’7. This guy had to be 5’4 at most and Richie found it adorable.

Wavy brown hair framed his face perfectly, his tanned skin made him look like a bronzed god, and the sprinkling of freckles over his cheeks and nose made Richie weak at the knees. He had pretty pink lips that Richie really wanted to bite, and his brown eyes reminded Richie of fucking Bambi. He had a single septum piercing, and a cartilage piercing, a silver hoop, on his left ear, you know, on the gay side.

All these things alone could make Richie pop a boner, but Eddie’s outfit hugged his body quite well. He wore short jean shorts with black tights underneath, covered in silver spiderwebs and spiders, his shirt was loose-fitting, off one shoulder and grey. Pastel pink converse were on his feet and never had Richie seen anything cuter.

“Bev! Hey! Here for more Rose Quartz?”

Richie almost passed out when he heard this beautiful angel’s voice that was no longer muffled from being bent over and going through boxes. How had Richie never met this guy before? How could Bev hold out on him? This guy was Richie’s wet dream and he had to say something, only he couldn’t make himself speak.

“Yeah, and some purple candles if you have any,” Bev looked over at Richie and smirked at his stunned silence as he stared at her friend, “This is Richie, my best friend.”

Eddie smiled and Richie waved before turning away to pretend to look at, holy fuck! Is that really animal bones? What kind of voodoo was Beverly into? Richie turned back to see Eddie and Bev had gone to the other side of the store where stones of all colors lined the walls, some of the larger ones sat on the floor. He was a nervous wreck and he knew he had to make a good impression with this guy so he walked up to them, preparing to be smooth.

“Uh hi,” Richie said as his voice cracked.

He cleared his throat and watched as Bev shook her head and Eddie giggled. At least that was a positive reaction. He rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. _Nice going dumbass. He’s gonna think I’m an idiot._

“Hi, Are you feeling less shy now?” Eddie asked.

Richie’s eyes widened and his cheeks began to feel warm and he knew he was blushing. Holy fuck Richie Tozier was blushing over a guy, what was the world coming to? He was usually so smooth and sultry but Eddie just made him feel like jelly and unable to think.

“He isn’t usually like this, you must have fried his brain,” Bev whispered to Eddie.

Eddie smiled at Richie, a bright beautiful smile that lit up the entire store and Richie wondered if his eyes were turning into hearts because he sure felt like they could. They all walked back to the counter so Bev could make her purchase, and Richie stared at Eddie the whole time, Eddie would glance over at him and smirk, he knew the effect he was having on Richie, the little shit.

Bev finished up and said her goodbyes but Richie just stood there, looking at Eddie like he was the love of his life. Eddie tilted his head and waited for Richie to do something, but he stayed silent.

“Uh, did you need help with-”

“I’ll take this!” Richie yelled and quickly picked up a stone from the random stones at the register and slammed it down on the counter. Eddie giggled and picked up the stone, he never had a customer just randomly buy something just to be around him longer. Eddie found it cute.

“Ooh good pick, this is a moonstone, do you know what they mean and are good for?”

Richie shook his head.

“Moonstones are for new beginnings and are a stone of inner growth and strength. They help soothe emotional instability and stress and stabilize the emotions, to help you feel calm. Moonstone also enhances intuition, promotes inspiration, success, and good fortune in love and business matters. Usually stones call to us, so you picking this one, out of all these more colorful stones, shows me that you are experiencing a fresh new start in your life but you also need a little help when those anxious thoughts creep in.”

Richie just stared at Eddie, jaw dropped and eyes wide, he felt so exposed and vulnerable. How could a rock tell Eddie all this? Bev would never tell anyone about the conversations they’ve had.

“Are you a witch?” Richie asked, in astonishment.

“Well yeah, I’m in the same coven as Bev, I work at a store that sells supplies for witches, so…”

Richie laughed, he wasn’t sure why he just felt so awkward and overwhelmed. Eddie continued the transaction, letting Richie calm down, he probably should have gone easy on him, Eddie could always sense things about people if he focused in on them, he figured since he was friends with Bev and came to this store that he was around this stuff and wouldn’t be surprised by things.

“Cool, cool, cool, cool,’ Richie repeated.

Bev came over and started rubbing Richie’s back, she knew how shocking it could be to see a witch use their powers a little. She knew Richie didn’t believe in this stuff but now he might be less skeptical. Richie paid for the stone and Eddie handed him the small black bag containing the moonstone, their fingers brushing against each other’s and Richie felt electrified. Eddie gasped and Richie knew he felt that spark as well. Those beautiful doe eyes were so hypnotic, he could look into Eddie’s eyes all day. Then he realized Eddie was trying to hand Richie the receipt, and then noticed writing on it.

“In case you want to learn more about this stuff, or maybe want to hang out, there’s my number,” Eddie said sounding, almost shy.

Richie’s face lit up and he smiled, he looked at the number and Eddie’s name, written in cute handwriting, and he nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll text you.”

  
  


The door to the shop slammed open and in walked a tall lanky guy with black shoulder-length hair, unsettling grey eyes, and pale skin. His clothing was wrinkled and looked like he stepped out of a _Hot Topic,_ grey skinny jeans, a Korn band tee, a grey and black flannel shirt, and large black combat boots. The sleeves of the flannel were rolled up, revealing both arms covered in creepy tattoos, his smile looked almost wicked, and he smelled of weed.

“Miss me?” the strange guy asked Eddie.

Richie and Bev looked at Eddie and saw the annoyed look on the shorter boy’s face. His brows were furrowed and his jaw was clenched, his stance immediately becoming defensive. Eddie glared at the guy and they stared each other down until Eddie huffed and turned away while rolling his eyes.

The guy walked behind the counter and smacked Eddie’s ass, the soft “ _oh”_ that left Eddie’s lips in surprise led to those adorable cheeks turning a bright shade of red. Eddie quickly turned around and shoved the guy away from him, unfortunately, all that did was make the guy start laughing and mussing up Eddie’s hair.

“Fuck off, Patrick!” Eddie growled.

“What? I’m just teasing my little stepbrother,” Patrick said feigning innocence.

Bev and Richie looked at each other and grimaced, they both felt sick to their stomachs. How gross could this Patrick be to his own stepbrother? It was disgusting and Richie wanted to protect Eddie, he fought the urge to punch Patrick in the face.

“I’ve told you not to touch me!”

“And I told you that I can’t keep my hands off that ass,” Patrick responded hungrily and groped Eddie’s ass with both hands to make his point.

Eddie elbowed Patrick in the stomach and that made the taller boy step away groaning. Eddie looked satisfied with himself and then remembered Bev and Richie were right there and witnessed the entire thing. His cheeks were blazing red again and he looked at the floor.

Patrick walked through a door marked ‘Employees Only’ and the tension instantly left the room. Eddie took a deep breath and then plastered a smile on his face, Bev and Richie could tell it was fake.

“Sorry about that, have a great day and come back soon,” Eddie spoke in his retail voice and then went back to the boxes he was working on when the two first arrived.

  
  
  
  


____

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Bev and Richie walked home in awkward silence, neither knew what to say, and neither wanted to be the first to speak. What they witnessed had troubled both of them, Richie felt angry and wanted to beat that Patrick guy until he was unrecognizable and Bev was thinking of possible spells that weren’t considered blood magic but could help Eddie in some way.

“Can’t you hex that asshole or something?”

Bev glared at Richie and shook her head, she knew his knowledge of witchcraft was very minimal and from movies and tv shows. She hadn’t explained magic and witchcraft to Richie because she knew he didn’t believe in it but now she thought that maybe she should.

“Rich, my coven doesn’t do magic that harms others, believe me, I’ve been wracking my brain for spells that could do something but there isn’t anything that would actually hurt him that I’m allowed to do. I can do protection spells but Patrick is a witch as well. He is in a coven that is very bad, they do blood magic, they hurt others, he tried to join the coven Eddie and I are in but was denied because he wanted to hurt others. He joined a coven that a guy named Butch Bowers started, his son Henry is friends with Patrick so he welcomed Patrick into their coven. I had never met him before and I’m glad, I hate that Eddie has to deal with him.”

“How did he end up with a piece of shit like that as a stepbrother?”

“Eddie’s mom married Patrick’s dad, they both joined a group to lose weight and they fell in love or whatever, I hear they are both really shitty so who knows.”

Richie frowned at the information, he had only met Eddie but he felt protective of him. He had to figure out something, he couldn’t imagine the horrors Eddie went through at home, Patrick was taller than even Richie, so he definitely towered over Eddie. The thought made Richie’s stomach lurch, he knew Eddie couldn’t defend himself if Patrick really wanted to do something to him.

  
  
  


____

  
  
  


**Richie** : hey its richie, i hope it's cool i text you, i know it's only been like 2 hours

  
  


**Eddie** : I wasn’t expecting you to message me so soon. Made me smile after being so annoyed dealing with an angry Karen.

  
  


**Richie** : aww i’m sorry, need me to relieve some of that tension? ;-)

  
  


**Eddie** : You’re lucky you’re hot because you text like a teenager. Also where was this confidence when you were in the store?

  
  


**Richie** : i can’t help that looking at you makes me stupid

  
  


**Eddie** : _photo_

  
  


**Richie** : fuuuuuuck, you shouldn’t be allowed to go to work looking that sexy

  
  


**Eddie** : Shut up lol

  
  


**Richie** : sorry baby, this mouth never stops running

**Eddie** : Wanna bet? ;-)

  
  


**Richie** : uh, what did you have in mind?

  
  


**Eddie** : Why don’t you come back here when my shift ends in an hour and find out?

  
  


**Richie** : yeah, yeah, ok, yeah

  
  


**Eddie** : You’re cute when you’re flustered.

  
  
  
  


____

  
  
  
  


Richie made his way back to the witchy shop, he was nervous, he kept fidgeting with his hands and mumbling to himself. He really wanted to seem cool but just looking at Eddie made him act like an idiot, well more like an idiot than usual.

He got there as Eddie turned the sign on the door from open to closed. He smiled when he saw Richie and shyly waved. Richie blushed and waved back before leaning against the wall to wait for Eddie.

It was only about ten minutes before the smaller boy walked out and locked the door. He looked up at Richie and smirked, he could tell Richie was nervous.

“Hi,” Richie squeaked out, then cleared his throat, “I mean, hey.”

Eddie giggled and Richie felt like he was melting into the sidewalk. That giggle would be the death of him, he already knew it. Eddie motioned for Richie to follow him, so they started to walk towards a more uppity neighborhood a few blocks down.

The houses down that way were large and at least two stories, some even three or four stories. He wondered just how loaded Eddie’s mom and step-dad were, and yet Eddie acted nothing like all the rich kids that were around Richie’s college campus.

“You live in the rich area?”

Eddie cringed and Richie worried he may have said the wrong thing, maybe Eddie only lived out there because his mom or step-dad worked for the rich and elite. Maybe they would walk past the rich area towards the more run-down area. So many ideas were swarming around in Richie’s mind he almost missed that Eddie had spoken.

“Please don’t think I’m some trust fund baby, when my mom remarried, well, let's just say her husband is freakin’ loaded and not for good reasons, that’s why his son acts like such a spoiled brat. I’m sorry you had to see that earlier.”

“No worries, I’ve always wanted to check out the cool houses around there, and are you ok? Does he always harass you like that?” Richie asked treading lightly.

“Since the very moment we met. He’s disgusting, he constantly touches me, says gross things to me, and my mom doesn’t do anything about it and his dad sure as fuck doesn’t. His precious Patrick can do no wrong, even though he has been arrested five times!”

Richie whistled and shook his head. This guy was not going to like Eddie giving attention to someone else. Eddie felt Richie’s arm land on his shoulders and give a firm squeeze, he hoped Eddie felt at least a little better. The smile on the shorter boy’s face told him it did.

  
  


They got to Eddie’s house and found that no one was home, not even cleaning staff, it was their day off apparently. Eddie grabbed Richie’s hand and pulled him upstairs, Richie was marveling at the inside of the house that looked even grander than the outside, it was a three-story house that had a modern style to it without looking too plain and boring.

Once they got to Eddie’s room on the third floor, Eddie slammed his door shut and shoved Richie against it. Getting on his tiptoes he pressed himself against Richie and gripped tightly to the taller boy’s shirt and kissed him.

Richie was surprised at the suddenness and once he realized that this was actually happening, he wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist and kissed him back. Eddie lit a fire in Richie that he hadn’t felt before and he began to feel more confident as they made out.

Eddie felt big hands grab him right under his ass and pull him up, swinging around and felt his back hit the door. He wrapped his legs around Richie’s waist and moaned into his mouth. He never expected Richie to be so assertive. He found he loved the dominating demeanor Richie displayed, he loved feeling his body pressed tightly between Richie and the door, being held up like he weighed nothing, and kissed like Eddie was water to a dehydrated Richie and he just couldn’t get enough.

“ _Fuck_ you’re so hot, holy fuck how is this real?” Richie mumbled in Eddie’s mouth in between kisses.

Eddie moaned and tried to get some friction to his aching cock, he felt like he would burst if he didn’t get any relief to his throbbing cock, he could feel Richie’s erection hit his ass when Richie moved like he was trying to gain some friction as well.

“Bed,” Eddie demanded.

Richie aimed to please so he swung Eddie around then made his way towards the bed. He dropped Eddie down on the bed, the little oof sound that came out of Eddie was adorable, and he smiled down. He was going to rock Eddie’s world, his small frame looking wrecked already, his hair messed up, his bright pink lips swollen from being kissed and bit, Richie felt his jeans grow even more impossibly tight and he groaned as he pressed the palm of his hand on his dick to relieve some of the pressure. Eddie looked up with wide eyes and Richie knew, he knew that he was fucked, that this short cutie was going to ruin him. He would never be able to fuck anyone else ever again.

He climbed on top of Eddie, straddling the smaller boy, and rocked his hips slowly, rubbing his erection against Eddie’s. Eddie gasped and tried to buck his hips up but Richie was solid as a rock on him and he couldn’t move. The whimper that left Eddie’s lips made Richie’s dick twitch and he growled as he dove down to crash their lips together.

Eddie’s arms wrapped around Richie’s neck while Richie slipped one hand under Eddie’s shirt to play with his nipple, to his surprise and almost damn near coming on the spot, he found out Eddie’s nipples were pierced.

“ _Fuuuuck me_ ,” Richie moaned as his other hand tried to remove Eddie’s shirt.

Eddie arched his back as Richie’s large fingers touched his sensitive nipples, he whined and when he felt Richie attempt to get his shirt off, he helped, and pretty soon Eddie was shirtless. Richie stared at the boy under him and admired his beautiful body.

“You are gorgeous, holy hell, how are you this gorgeous?”

Eddie blushed and looked away, only to feel Richie’s hand on his chin to direct his gaze back on him, and boy was that a sight for Eddie to see. Richie’s pupils were blown wide and the only way he could describe the look on Richie’s face was pure lust.

“Your turn, take your shirt off,” Eddie whispered breathlessly.

Richie smirked as he made himself shirtless and looked down at the hungry boy under him, Eddie’s eyes were wide, he looked almost like he was in a trance and when Richie looked down at himself, he realized why. Eddie seemed to enjoy looking at Richie’s tattoos that were hidden under his shirt.

Eddie’s fingers traced over a tattoo of the most realistic and gorgeous looking werewolf over Richie’s heart. The werewolf was black with bright blue eyes, and Eddie had never seen line work so perfect. He knew this tattoo had special meaning, he could tell with the care that was put into it.

“Wow, that’s beautiful.”

Richie smiled and placed his hand over Eddie’s that was still touching the werewolf. He usually didn’t get that amazing reaction, girls usually got freaked out and didn’t like it, guys usually thought it was a little weird to have a monster permanently on his body. But Eddie’s reaction, his reaction was perfect, he looked at it in awe, like he had seen the most beautiful sight in his entire life.

“Thanks, it's my favorite. It's special to me.”

Richie started to unbutton Eddie’s shorts, slowly, to be an antagonizing little shit he slid down the zipper. Eddie was blushing furiously, he didn’t think watching someone pull down a zipper could be that hot. Richie smirked knowingly.

Slowly Richie leaned down to softly lick one of Eddie’s nipples, the whine that left Eddie as he arched his back was music to Richie’s ears, he wanted to record that sound and listen to it on repeat forever. He gently bit Eddie’s nipple and rubbed the tip of his tongue over it.

“Fu-fu-fuuuuuck,” Eddie stuttered.

His head was slowly sinking into a glorious haze, his nerve endings were heightened and every single touch from Richie was like a livewire coursing through Eddie’s body. Eddie’s hand slowly made his way into the mess of curls on Richie’s head and tugged.

The growl that came from the back of Richie’s throat tortured Eddie, he felt Richie grab both of Eddie’s wrists and pull his hands about his head and then let go with one hand while holding down his wrists with the other hand. His face mere inches away from Eddie, his eyes dark with lust, he smirked as Eddie squirmed underneath him, trying to release his pinned down wrists.

“Be careful princess, don’t start something you can’t finish.”

Eddie moaned at those words and tried to once again buck his hips up to gain some friction but Richie’s other hand pinned down Eddie’s hip as he shook his head still staring into Eddie’s eyes.

“Baby, can you really not behave? Don’t you want to be good for Daddy?”

Richie squeezed Eddie’s erection as he spoke and Eddie bit his lip to keep from screaming. Did he really have some daddy kink he was unaware of? Of course, Richie could tell how it was affecting him, he could see straight through Eddie. He closed the gap between their lips and they kissed hungrily.

When Eddie pulled away just a little to get some air, Richie made his way down Eddie’s jaw, leaving soft kisses as he made his way to Eddie’s ear, licked the shell of his ear which had Eddie moaning Richie’s name, and then proceeded to Eddie’s neck.

Richie bit the shorter boy’s neck and sucked a nice bruise where he would be unable to hide it. The thought was thrilling to Eddie, being claimed and unable to hide it. Richie left another hickey on Eddie’s neck, and then another. Eddie squirmed and moaned, the teasing was torture and he needed to be fucked.

Eddie’s moaning was cut off as the sound of a door slamming caught his attention. He tensed up and froze, who was home? He could seriously be in serious shit if he was caught half-naked with a boy. He strained to listen for any clue to who it was and Richie held his breath.

“Eddie bear! I’m home early!” a woman’s voice called out from the first floor.

“Fuck! Get dressed!” Eddie whisper-yelled.

Richie and Eddie both swiftly got their clothes back in order and fixed their hair, he did not need his mom knowing what they were up to, she hated anything homosexual, and was disgusted her son claimed to be that way.

Eddie grabbed a few comics, handed one to Richie as he sat on Eddie’s bed, his back to the headboard, Eddie scattered a few comics on the bed and he held one as he headed to his door. He heard his mother’s footsteps on the stairs as she kept calling out to her son. Once at her son’s bedroom door she knocked.

Eddie opened the door, trying to breathe normally, and put on a sweet innocent smile just for his mom. He knew she wouldn’t approve of Richie but as long as she didn’t catch them dry humping each other they should be in the clear.

His mom was a bit short but still taller than Eddie, she had some curves to her body but you could tell she lost a ton of weight, her pale skin the polar opposite of her son’s perfectly tanned skin, she had the same color hair as Eddie but her eyes weren’t brown like Eddie’s, her’s were hazel. She wore a peach-colored dress that fell to her calves with white heels, her makeup was caked on, and gold jewelry with many diamonds glittered in the light as she moved.

“Eddie bear, why didn’t you reply? Didn’t you hear me ca-”

His mother cut herself off as she saw the love bites on Eddie’s neck, she looked into the room and saw Richie pretending to read a comic that was, unfortunately, upside down, and she could see that. He lifted his eyes from the pages and smiled like he just realized she was there.

“Hi there Eddie’s mom! I’m Richie! Nice to meet you!”

“Eddie, what the fuck have you been doing?” his mother screeched.

She brought her cold dry fingers to Eddie’s neck and got into his personal space to examine the marks. Eddie’s cheeks turned pink and he tried to pull away from his mother’s grip but she refused to let go.

“Mom! Stop! I’m an adult!” Eddie yelled as he managed to break from her grasp.

His mother’s glare made him feel small but he tried to look tall and brave, even if he felt scared. How could he forget about the damn hickies? It's not like she could ground him, he was an adult with a job but she could make his life a living hell and harder to see Richie.

“Did you have sex? With that boy? Tell me!”

“Fuck mom! No, we didn’t fuck, calm down!”

Eddie’s mother started turning red with anger, he knew she hated when he swore at her but he was annoyed, frustrated, and being blue balled. He felt he had a right to use such harsh words.

“Eddie, you could get aids! Is that what you want? Aids? You’ll die and leave your poor mother behind and all alone! Do you really hate me that much?”

Crocodile tears formed in his mother’s eyes, Eddie rolled his eyes, he knew the tears were only to make him feel guilty. He wouldn’t let her guilt-trip him for fooling around with a guy, he was gay, totally completely gay and she couldn’t change that.

“Stop it, _Sonia,_ this isn’t the eighties, I’m not gonna touch aids blood and have my waist amputated or whatever you tried to scare me with. Now please leave me alone, I have a guest”, Eddie said as he pushed his mother out and slammed the door in her face, and locked it.

He leaned against the door as Sonia’s cries and banging on the door filled his ears. He hated Richie seeing this, such a boner killer and he learned too quickly his mom was batshit crazy, now he wouldn’t want to fuck Eddie. This was so fucking embarrassing and Eddie tried not to blow up. He could feel himself shaking and he refused to look at Richie, he wanted this day to be over with.

“You alright?”

Eddie looked up as he realized Richie was standing right in front of him, looking at him with concern, afraid to touch. Eddie nodded and closed the gap, he pressed his ear to Richie’s chest and wrapped his arms around Richie’s waist. He felt those gorgeous tattooed arms wrap around his tiny frame and Eddie was able to breathe finally.

“I’m so sorry”, Eddie whispered.

Richie shushed him and rocked them both side to side, Richie was fucking amazing at sex, but he was even better at comforting. His touches feather-light and holding so much care in those arms, Eddie couldn’t believe how calming Richie’s hold was.

  
  
  
  


____

  
  
  
  


Richie had stayed in Eddie’s room for hours, they didn’t get physical again, too weird with Sonia in the house, most likely trying to listen for any sound that her precious Eddie bear was delving into sexual sin. They read the comics Eddie had pulled out, they talked about the classes they were taking in college, Richie was going for an art major while Eddie taking general studies until he figured out what he wanted.

Richie was an amazing artist, he showed photos of his drawings to Eddie and each one made Eddie’s eyes sparkle. He scrolled to the next photo which was the outline of the werewolf tattoo he had.

“Wait, you designed your werewolf tattoo?”

“Uh, yeah,” Richie said sheepishly.

“Why are you being shy about that? It's beautiful.”

Richie chuckled nervously and fiddled with his phone for a moment, trying to think of how to describe what he wanted to explain. Words could be hard for him, at least when it came to meaningful things, art was so much easier. He could convey so much in such a simple drawing.

“So, I grew up thinking that I was a monster. I hated that evil part inside me that threatened to come out the older I got. I looked at girls, yeah, but I also looked at boys. Small towns are forgiving of those kinds of things.”

Eddie nodded, letting Richie know he was listening. He knew how it felt to struggle with internalized homophobia, he hated himself for so long because he knew he was gay and couldn’t change it.

“Well, I drew this werewolf to represent that part of me, it's usually hidden but it still rips out of me every now and then, it's beyond my control. I felt like I was like the werewolf, cursed to bring out the monster that is always inside me, and there was not a thing I could do to stop it.”

Richie looked away and took a deep breath, he would tend to get emotional talking about it, which is why he didn’t talk about it when Eddie was enchanted by the art earlier when they were trying to have some “fun”.

“After I drew it I knew I needed to get it tattooed on me, I had them put it over my heart because I wanted to love myself for who I am, monster and all. It's been really cathartic, which is why it's so painful when everyone who sees it, hates it.”

Eddie’s eyes widened. How could anyone hate that masterpiece that was blessed to lay over Richie’s heart for all eternity? Eddie could stare at it for hours and still find it just as mesmerizing as the first moment he saw it.

“Why?” Eddie asked.

“I dunno. Everyone I’ve hooked up with has found it weird, I tend to just leave my shirt on when I sleep with someone nowadays. But you, you asked so sweetly and I couldn’t say no.”

Eddie smiled and his cheeks were flushed, he felt as if he was special, that he had seen the beauty that no one else could see. He saw the diamond in the rough and he felt the need to cling to it.

Eddie leaned closer to Richie and pressed a soft kiss to Richie’s lips, he smiled at the taller boy, looking so blissfully happy in the moment, Richie would have to draw him sometime, he would be the perfect model, he already was flawless.

  
  


Eddie’s door busted open and Patrick stood in the doorway. He had lock picking tools in his hand and a scowl was on his face the instant he saw Richie. Some guy was sitting on Eddie’s bed, too close to Eddie like they had just-.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop picking my goddamn lock! None of your business is what’s going on. Get the fuck out!” Eddie yelled.

Patrick did not get out. instead he walked closer to Eddie. He got closer to Eddie and saw the hickies, his blood boiled as he realized someone had touched what belonged to him.

“What the fuck are those?!”

Patrick roughly grabbed Eddie’s chin and moved his head to get a better look at the smaller boy’s neck. Eddie slapped Patrick’s hand until he let go and Eddie stood up to push Patrick out of his room.

“Get out!”

“I will fucking murder you, whoever you are, Eddie is mine! You don’t touch him!”

“I do not belong to you fucker! And you’re my brother! Gross!” Eddie yelled as he pushed Patrick past the doorway and slammed his door shut and locked it. He grabbed his desk chair and propped it under the doorknob while sticking the key into the lock for extra protection.

“I’m so sorry.”

Richie blinked and tried to get his mind to fully process what just happened. His face looked pained and he got up and wrapped Eddie in a hug, as tight as he could, and softly rubbed Eddie’s back.

“Does he… Has he… Are you safe here?” Richie asks.

Eddie doesn’t answer, he just shrugs and pulls away to sit back on his bed. He did not want to get into this right now, all he wanted was to finally have sex with a really hot guy, and to be honest after spending hours with Richie, he wanted more than just a hookup.

“Eddie?”

“Don’t. I’m fine. It’s not like we are related anyway, just step-brothers. It's not as bad as it seems.”

“Related or not that’s your fucking brother and that’s _not_ ok! He is abusing you.”

Eddie flinched at Richie’s words, no one was aware of what Patrick did, the first time Patrick forced himself on Eddie, he told Sonia and she waved him off telling him to stop making up lies. Mr. Hockstetter, Patrick’s father, sent Eddie to his room and did not allow him to come back out until the next day. He learned not to try to get help because Patrick was a saint in their eyes.

“Please, don’t. I’m handling it. Let’s watch a movie, or listen to some music.” Eddie suggested.

Richie looked at the smaller boy, holding himself and trying to make himself look as small as possible, it broke Richie’s heart. He would have to tell Bev, she could help, she would know what to do since she had dealt with her own experience of sexual abuse.

  
  
  
  


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Richie had been pacing in Bev’s dorm room for the last five hours, voicing his concerns about the stuff he found out is going on in Eddie’s home. He was fully prepared to kidnap Eddie but the shorter boy explicitly said no to anything of the sort.

“This is a tricky situation, maybe I bring it up to the coven, schedule a meeting without Eddie knowing, and maybe we can figure something out.”

Richie rolled his eyes, did Bev really think people playing magic and looking at colorful stones could solve such a delicate issue? She had to be out of her damn mind. Did Eddie believe this stuff just as much?

“He needs real help, Bev! Not LARPers who collect pretty rocks and burn incense until they lose their sense of smell!”

Yeah, Richie may have gone just a little too far but he was upset, he was hurting. He wanted to protect Eddie and felt powerless, he hated feeling powerless.

“Fuck you. This is real shit.”

“Bev, I love you, you know I do, but there is no such thing as magic and all this fantasy horror shit. I’m glad it helps you feel more in control of your life and maybe it gives you that placebo effect, but I need you to be in reality right now,” Richie pleaded.

Bev’s eyes glowered at her best friend, she was tired of him not believing her, she was tired of the jokes and comments, and she was not in the mood to deal with his harsh words.

“Richie, sit the fuck down, now.”

Richie sat instantly, pretty hard on his ass, and he looked up at her confused. He would never just follow an order like that, he tried standing up but his body would not do it.

“What the fuck! Did you superglue me to the floor?” Richie asked, still trying to get his ass off the floor.

“No asshole, that’s fucking magic.”

Richie looked up at the girl standing above him, her eyes glowing, wait her eyes were actually glowing, that was physically impossible, eyes didn't glow. He rubbed his eyes thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him but they weren’t. Bev’s eyes were still glowing.

“What the fuck! Did you drug me? Am I tripping on acid?! Bev!”

“Stand up,” Bev commanded.

Richie’s body shot up and he was on his feet, the sudden movement made Richie dizzy, he stood up way too fast, but he hadn’t stood up at all. Bev told him to stand and then his body was standing. He was so confused and a little scared.

“Bev?”

“Believe me now?”

  
  
  
  


____

  
  
  
  


Richie had been avoiding Bev for a few days. Processing that his friend was a real witch, not one of those crystals and essential oils witchy girl but a real fucking witch, it was a lot to handle. His whole world was shaken since he was quite the skeptic and now he had undeniable proof that magic was real and Bev was a witch.

That made him think about Eddie. He had told Richie the day they met that he was a witch, in the same coven as Bev, did he have those magical powers too? He wanted to find out so he messaged Eddie to see if he was working and then told him he was going to swing by.

Richie stood outside for about ten minutes before actually going in, he was worried. What should he say exactly? Would questions annoy him? Would he tell the truth? Should Richie be scared of him?

Richie pushed at the door but it didn’t budge, the store was open and Eddie was expecting him but for some reason, the door was locked. He knocked and tried looking in but didn’t see anyone.

“We’re closed, come back later!”

Richie frowned at the voice, that was not Eddie, it sounded familiar but it was not Eddie’s voice. He cupped his hands on the sides of his face, trying to see inside, the lights were off but that’s when he saw Eddie’s feet sticking out from behind the counter. Richie pounded on the door but there were no more answers.

This had Richie worried and he thought about calling the police but he hated them and they weren’t a big fan of him either, he took his purple button-up shirt with unicorns and rainbows that was over his band tee, and wrapped it around his fist. He hadn’t done this before but he felt that Eddie was in trouble so he punched at the glass. The impact made a loud sound and Richie felt intense pain in his hand, the glass didn’t break so he did it again.

The glass cracked this time but it was still standing, so with tears in his eyes from the excruciating pain, Richie punched the same spot a third time. This time the glass shattered, it was louder than he expected, but he used the wrapped hand to brush off glass before sticking his arm in to unlock the door.

“What the fuck?!” growled an angry voice.

Richie stepped inside and watched Patrick stand up from behind the counter, the color drained from his face as he realized what was happening. He heard muffled whimpers and he ran to the counter, pushed Patrick out of the way, and saw a very scared, very naked Eddie.

Eddie’s body was trembling, he had what looked like his shirt stuffed in his mouth, wrists were bound and over his head, bruises littered his hips and thighs, red marks on his neck showed that he was also strangled, and bodily fluids covered Eddie’s stomach.

Richie looked back at Patrick and glared at him, it was clear Eddie was not a willing participant. Richie charged and he and Patrick fell to the ground, using his other hand to punch Patrick’s stupid face, yelling at him, and crying from being so angry, he honestly wasn’t even sure what he was saying.

Patrick stopped fighting to get away and that’s when Richie stopped. He was panting and wanted water but he had Eddie to tend to. He turned around and saw Eddie’s eyes were wide and he was sobbing. Richie stood up, unwrapped the shirt off his hand, cringed as he saw the extreme bruising on his hands, and gently laid the shirt over Eddie’s crotch.

Eddie looked up at Richie, surprised by the gesture, Richie took the shirt out of Eddie’s mouth and then untied his wrists, then he gathered up the rest of Eddie’s clothes and put them down next to Eddie. Eddie’s wrists were bruised similar to the bruising on his neck. Richie held out his hand to offer to help Eddie stand up.

Eddie took Richie’s hand and let his savior get him on his feet, then walked him to the door to the back of the store and towards the bathroom. Eddie expected Richie to leave him alone in the bathroom but he came inside the small room and got water running at the sink. He tested the temperature then grabbed paper towels to wet and then wipe the questionable fluids off Eddie’s stomach.

Then he helped Eddie put his clothing back on, he had jean shorts and a crop top, the crop top, however, was wet from being inside Eddie’s mouth so Richie took off his band tee and helped Eddie put it on. He could wear his button-up so Eddie didn’t have to wear a wet shirt. The band tee on Eddie was bigger, it swallowed him and went down past his shorts.

“Th-thank you,” Eddie whispered.

“No need to thank me. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. I stood outside for ten fucking minutes before I even attempted to come inside because I was so nervous to see you.”

Eddie smiled a little and wrapped his arms around Richie’s torso and cried, Richie held him as tight as he could, he needed to help Eddie feel safe, he needed Eddie to know that nothing was going to hurt him ever again. Sirens could be heard and they got closer and closer until they heard voices.

“Hello? Anyone in here?”

Richie and Eddie walked back into the front of the store and saw a few cops inside, looking around at the broken glass, the unconscious beat up man on the floor, and then at Eddie and Richie.

“What happened here? Fuck, Tozier? Is that you?” the cop asked, squinting his eyes a little.

“Sir, Richie saved me, that man, Patrick, was…” Eddie looked down as he trailed off.

The cop radioed for an ambulance for Patrick and then escorted Richie and Eddie to one of the cruisers to take them down to the station for questioning. They needed a statement and possible filing of charges against Patrick.

  
  
  
  


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Sonia and Mr. Hockstetter were at the precinct when Eddie and Richie got there, Sonia wailing and sobbing as she tried to wrap her arms around her son but Eddie flinched and hid behind Richie. Sonia did not understand that usually after these kinds of things happening, survivors didn’t want to be touched.

“Eddie bear?! It's me! Your mother, why are you hiding from me? I want to hold you!”

Eddie shook his head and Richie looked behind him to see tears welling in Eddie’s eyes and he was shaking again. Richie looked back at Sonia, maybe she was crying real tears, he couldn’t tell, but Mr. Hockstetter acted like he didn’t give a fuck and that infuriated Richie.

“After what he’s been through, I don’t think touching him is the best idea. He needs less stimulation, he’s having sensory overload and you wailing like a banshee isn’t helping,” Richie said firmly.

Sonia attempted to stop crying, still sniffling, but Richie was glad that she actually listened and didn’t fight him on it. Eddie seemed to visibly relax, he had both hands holding onto Richie’s arm, and pressed against him as if Eddie was worried he would disappear right out of his hands.

  
  


Making statements, filing changes, and speaking to everyone separately took hours, it didn’t help that Mr. Hockstetter continuously defended his son, claimed he did nothing wrong, and fought the cops on everything. Sonia took her husband’s side every time. It broke Eddie’s heart because he _knew_ she believed him but she followed what her husband said.

When they were finally allowed to leave, the sun was already setting. Eddie clung to Richie and Sonia tried to convince her son to come home but he refused. They were going to pick up Patrick on the way home and Eddie couldn’t be around him, he _wouldn’t_ be around him. So that was how Richie got Eddie back to his dorm room. He was careful and quiet, made sure Eddie felt comfortable on the walk to the campus, and once they got to Richie’s dorm room, he was surprised to find his roommate Stan sitting on his own bed doing homework.

“Stan, uh hey, didn’t realize you would be here.”

Stan looked up and opened his mouth to say a smartass remark when he saw Eddie hiding behind Richie. Stan was a nice guy, worn plain clothes, had more of a grandpa vibe unless he was drunk, and he was pretty quiet. His light brown curls perfectly shaped his face, his grey eyes looked kind, and his smile was sweet.

“I didn’t realize you were going to have a hookup tonight, I can leave-”

“No! I mean, not a hookup, this is Eddie, Eddie this is my roommate Stan.”

Eddie waved shyly and that’s when Stan noticed the bruises and a frown was instantly on his face. He knew Richie could get rough with his partners at times but he had never seen anything like that before.

“What the fuck did you do to him?! He’s covered in bruises!” Stan yelled.

Eddie cowered and hid behind Richie again. Richie glared at Stan then walked Eddie to his bed and sat him down and took Stan to the side to explain what happened. Stan was in shock and when he looked down, he saw Richie’s hand.

“Rich! Your hand is broken! You need to go to the hospital!”

“I’m fine Stan the man, gotta take care of Eddie here.”

“Richie, you broke your hand to get to me?” Eddie asked.

“Hospital! Now! You could get some serious problems if you don’t, your hand is also cut, you could get an infection. I’m taking you to the hospital, let go.” Stan insisted.

  
  
  
  


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Stan drove Richie to the hospital, Eddie held Richie’s hand the entire time, the doctor x-rayed Richie’s hand and confirmed it was broken. Unfortunately, there were many fractures and the doctor mentioned surgery, that’s when Richie threw up.

A nurse brought Richie some ice chips and Eddie kept holding Richie’s good hand. Richie’s good hand had some bruising from punching Patrick but it didn’t bother him like his broken hand. Eddie felt awful that Richie hurt himself this badly to save him. He didn’t feel like he deserved it.

The doctor scheduled a date for the surgery, put a cast on his hand to protect it until the surgery, and during that time was when the doctor shattered Richie’s heart.

“I see this is your dominant hand. Do you go to school? Work?”

“I’m in college, I’m an art major, I draw.”

The doctor paused his movements and almost looked guilty to say the next thing he was going to say. Richie felt sick, those looks from doctors were never a good thing.

“I’m sorry but with breaks this bad, you aren’t going to be able to draw like before, if at all, depends on how the surgery and physical therapy go.”

The color drained from Richie’s face, Stan gasped, and Richie felt that painful sensation in the back of his throat signaling he was going to start crying. He held back his tears, he tried breathing, and finally, he just went on autopilot, let himself just not think for a little bit.

Stan was worried, he knew how important his art was to Richie, he was at that college on an art scholarship, if he couldn’t draw, he would lose it and he could not afford the tuition.

The blank look on Richie’s face remained as they left the hospital, the drive home, and even after they got back. He stared out the car window, wouldn’t speak to anyone, and laid on his bed and faced the wall. The painkillers they gave him made him extremely sleepy, he offered one to Eddie since he was in pain too.

They both fell asleep holding each other, doped up on opioids. Stan left to talk to the rest of their friends, he needed help, he had to figure out a way to help Richie stay in college, heal, and hopefully draw again.

  
  
  
  


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Eddie awoke the next day to Stan being gone, probably at a class, and Richie still fast asleep. He grabbed his phone to send a message to Bev, asking her to bring some things to Richie’s dorm and then waited for the redhead to get there.

Bev got there within twenty minutes and laid out everything on the floor, candles, stones, incense, sigils, and a few pages of spells. Eddie had asked Bev to bring over things they would need to perform a healing spell on Richie while he slept.

Eddie placed an Amethyst on Richie’s broken hand and Bev lit a stick of incense, Lavender. Next Eddie put a few healing sigils on Richie’s chest and Bev lit the healing candle. Once everything was in place, they both began to chant the healing spell.

They held hands and closed their eyes, their voices were soft so as not to wake Richie, they had to help their friend and if they could use their magical abilities to save Richie’s education and future career, then it was a no brainer.

  
  


An hour later Richie woke up confused and groggy from the painkillers. He put his glasses on with his good hand and he saw Eddie and Bev now sitting on the floor. It almost looked like they were praying to a tall purple candle but he didn’t question it.

“Could I get some water?” Richie asked, his voice hoarse.

Eddie was up in an instant and looking through the minifridge, hoping there were some water bottles inside. Luck was on his side and he grabbed one and opened it then handed it to Richie. Bev opened the pill bottle that held Richie’s painkillers since he was struggling to open them with one hand. He popped two pills in his mouth and washed them down with water.

“Go easy on those Rich, they are addictive,” Bev cautioned.

Richie rolled his eyes and gave her an annoyed look. Eddie sat down next to Richie and started rubbing his back. He could feel the tension between Bev and Richie and he hoped he could calm Richie down.

“Thanks, Eddie,” Richie whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> So what did y'all think? It will get more spooky and witchy as the story progresses.


End file.
